Grandparents in their 60s drove a motorbike 3,450 kilometers, traveling across Vietnam with their children and grandchildren

Nearly 10 days after the trip across Vietnam with his children and grandchildren, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh (60 years old) continuously received messages and calls asking about and congratulating him from friends, acquaintances and even strangers.

"I was very surprised that my family's trip received so much attention. Many people said that my wife and I inspired them positively. Personally, I just thought that this was a trip to fulfill my dream and spend time with my family," Mr. Thanh shared.

In early July, Mr. Thanh and his wife - Mrs. Le Viet Chinh (57 years old), living in Ho Chi Minh City, together with their son, daughter's family (son-in-law, daughter and 11-year-old grandchild) made a trip across Vietnam by motorbike. The whole journey took place in 20 days with a distance of 3,450 km, passing through about 40 provinces and cities.

60-year-old grandfather's cherished dream for 3 years

Mr. Thanh and Mrs. Chinh have opened a restaurant for many years to raise their children. He is a cheerful person who likes to explore, so in the past, during holidays and Tet, when the children were on school break, the whole family would travel to the provinces around Saigon. They used to "ride the iron horse" - an old motorbike, attached to it for many years, to travel to the West, to Da Lat, Quy Nhon. About 5 years ago, when the family's economy was stable, the trips became more frequent and longer.

"As far as I remember, about 3 years ago, my father talked about his dream of traveling across Vietnam with the whole family, but my siblings were worried that he would be tired and that traveling far was dangerous, so they discouraged him. In early July, when we saw that my father was eager to make the trip and was very determined, my sister, brother-in-law and I decided to support him, immediately arranging work and preparing our luggage to go," said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Loc (23 years old) - Mr. Thanh's son.

The preparation time before the trip was only about a week. Because the family was a food trader, Mrs. Chinh had to quickly find a way to process food such as rice, fish sauce, and salt. She gave away and kept only a portion. The couple prepared very simple clothes. Mr. Thanh did not even bring any shoes because he was used to wearing slippers.

The youngest son, Mr. Loc, who runs a motorbike business, was assigned the task of taking 3 motorbikes for maintenance and installing additional cargo racks. He also bought 3 walkie-talkies so that the family could easily communicate if they were unlucky enough to go into an area without phone signal.

They departed from Ho Chi Minh City, traveled along Highway 1, occasionally turning onto coastal roads, stopping at famous destinations such as Nha Trang, Phu Yen, Hoi An, Quang Binh, Ninh Binh, Ha Giang, Sapa (Lao Cai), then from Hanoi took the train back to Ho Chi Minh City. "My family did not calculate the details but the total cost was about 100 million VND," Mr. Loc shared.

On the first day alone, the family of 7, on 3 motorbikes, traveled more than 400km. In the following days, they traveled an average of about 200km. "Going to each province and city, my parents and siblings were overwhelmed by the natural scenery and were extremely excited to enjoy the local cuisine. My father repeatedly exclaimed: "Vietnam is so beautiful", said Mr. Loc.

The 23-year-old frankly admitted that there were times when he felt extremely discouraged. The road through the central provinces of Quang Binh and Quang Tri was extremely hot and sunny, and Loc was often exhausted, discouraged, and wanted to "turn back". "In contrast to me, my father is very persistent, resilient, and drives as well as a young man. It was my father who always encouraged and motivated me. A few days later, the more I drove, the more I got used to it, feeling excited and full of energy," he shared.

During their journey through more than 40 provinces and cities, Mr. Thanh and Mrs. Chinh were especially impressed with Ha Giang. He emotionally recalled the moment he stood on top of Ma Pi Leng, looking out into the distance to see the Nho Que River and the majestic mountains. They also enjoyed the feeling of sitting on a boat, drifting down the Nho Que River.

"But the road to conquer Ha Giang was extremely difficult," Mr. Thanh recalled.

From Ha Giang City to Dong Van, the whole family encountered a very bad road: muddy and slippery after the rain. "Our family had two flat tires and almost fell off many times. We fixed it ourselves and then got back on the bike to continue," said Mr. Loc.

They stayed the longest in Ha Giang, with two nights in Dong Van and two nights in Pa Vi community cultural tourism village (Meo Vac). Mr. Thanh and Mrs. Chinh trekked the dangerous road to the wharf, experiencing a boat ride to see the Nho Que River.

My husband and I really love the children in the highlands here. "Seeing the children drinking from the same can of water, some of them without clothes, my husband and I felt so sorry for them. But they are very cute, they wave and smile at everyone who passes by. We give them some snacks and cakes and they are very happy," Mr. Thanh said.

"Over the years, my parents have worked hard to raise me and my sister. This is a rare occasion for my parents to put their work aside for so long to enjoy their dreams. These are memorable memories for my whole family," Loc shared.

On the journey, Mr. Thanh and Mrs. Chinh's family did not try to go too far but tried to experience as much as possible. The whole family spent time enjoying many local delicacies such as Ninh Binh goat, Hue roasted pork sweet soup, Nghe An cu do candy, Hanoi vermicelli with grilled pork, corn wine and Ha Giang local pigs, Sa Pa black chicken...

The most worried person in the house is none other than Mrs. Chinh. Sitting behind her husband on the motorbike, she occasionally asks him questions to help him avoid sleepiness, proactively reminding him to stop for coffee and a nap to regain his strength. She also does not forget to keep an eye on her children to make sure no one gets lost.

"The journey is thousands of kilometers long, so it is inevitable that there will be dangerous moments. Sometimes the car will swerve because the container is pressing on the road, sometimes it will sway because of strong winds at Bau Trang pass... When passing through Ha Giang, I even directly encountered a car accident. Every time like that, I am extremely worried," Ms. Chinh confided. "Luckily, the trip was safe. The whole family is healthy and happy!", she added happily.

Despite traveling a long distance, Mr. Thanh and Mrs. Chinh did not have any back pain or fatigue. "My parents' flexibility makes me admire them so much," Mr. Loc shared. It is known that working regularly, moderately, and keeping the habit of going to bed early has helped the couple maintain good health.

After returning from the trip, Mr. Thanh planned to continue conquering Cao Bang, Lai Chau, Dien Bien... "If my parents are healthy, I hope they can do what they want. That is the greatest happiness for my siblings and I," Mr. Loc expressed.

According to Vietnamnet